Abstract

At the end of the World War II, young Americans were confronted with a belief crisis. For their unsatisfactory of the social situation of that time, they fell in profound skepticism about their fathers’ values; meanwhile, the confrontation of American capitalist democracy and Soviet Union-style communism, which was generated by the ideological differences, made the young people in America deeply worried about their future and the tomorrow of the country. During the fifties, Buddhism provided an alternative for the materialism and consumerism that suffocated the American spiritually, advising a mendicant, homeless path. And Buddhist practice was considered as a way of self-identification among the young people.

There were two major reasons for Buddhism to become the third choice of the young Americans in the 1950s-60s. One, Buddhist teachings stayed in keeping with the main tends—Feminism, Sex Liberation and Gay Rights—which were held in esteem by the young. The other, transcendentalism, serving as the cornerstone of American capitalist democracy, took in much of Buddhist doctrines, especially its explanation on the relations between human and nature. This intrinsic connection of Buddhism and transcendentalism provided a theoretical foundation for the Americanization of Buddhism.

This thesis analyzed the Buddhist practice in Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums to illustrate why and how Zen Buddhism turned into an alternative for the young Americans in the 1950s-60s—as Buddhist thoughts shared a certain proportion in the formation of early transcendentalism, their embracing then seemed fair and reasonable; and American Buddhism was justified rightly via transcendentalism.

Key words: Crisis, Alternative, Buddhism, Americanization


摘        要

第二次世界大战之后，美国青年面临着一场信仰危机。对于社会现状的不满使他们对父辈的价值观产生深刻的怀疑，而由于意识形态所导致的两种道路—美国式资本主义民主与苏联式共产主义道路—的冲突也让他们对未来忧心忡忡。在这样一个思想解构且亟待重构的特殊时期，佛教凭借其教义独特的兼容性，成为美国青年的第三种选择。佛教修行也被青年人视为表达自我意识的主要途径之一。
佛教之所以能成为第三种选择，一个重要的原因是，其教义与当时在美国青年人中盛行的几大思潮，如女性主义、性解放、同性恋权益等相一致。另一个重要的原因是，作为美式民主哲学基础的超验主义在其创立初期大量的吸收了佛家思想，尤其是佛教教义中对人与自然关系的阐释。这一关联便为佛教的美国化提供了思想依据。
本论文以杰克•凯鲁亚克的《达摩流浪者》为例，分析佛教修行作为二十世纪五六十年代美国青年的第三种选择其内在原因及表现形式—鉴于佛家思想在早期超验主义形成时所占有的比例，二者在五六十年代的结合就显得合乎情理；美国佛教也正是经由超验主义而寻求到了其正当性。

关键词：危机，选择，佛教，美国化